Cherra Companyganj State Railways

Cherra Companyganj State Railways (CCSR) was a narrow gauge mountain railway that existed in British India.[1][2][3]

History

The Cherra Companyganj State Railway was conceptualized by Hubert Kench, the British Executive Engineer of Khasi and Jaintia Hills Division, as there was need to connect Shillong, capital of province to Calcutta, then the capital of British India by rail.[1] The CCSR in Meghalaya was opened to traffic on 6 June 1886. CCSR was a 2 ft 6 in (762 mm) narrow gauge[4] tramway and the railway operated between Tharia, a mining town in Meghalaya and Companyganj, now in Sylhet District of Bangladesh, for a distance of 7.5 miles (12.1 km). Seven gradients were worked by rope mechanisms. It was built at a cost of eight lakhs, which was incurred by erstwhile Provincial Government of Assam.[5] An extension of railway link up to Sylhet and Goalundo was in plan from where railway link to Calcutta already existed[1] but plans never materialised.

Closure

The railway continued to run between Tharia and Companyganj until the Assam earthquake of 1897 in which the tracks were completely destroyed.[5] The tracks were not repaired after that[5] and the railway finally closed in 1900.[6]

References

  1. ^ a b c "Cherra Companyganj State Railways, a mountain railway that existed 125 years ago". The Economic Times. 15 March 2012. Archived from the original on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 15 August 2012.
  2. ^ Hilaly, Sarah (2007). The railways in Assam, 1885-1947. Varanasi: Pilgrims Pub. ISBN 978-8177694222.
  3. ^ Shyam Bhadra Medhi (1978). Transport system and economic development in Assam. Gauhati: Publication Board, Assam. LCCN 81903856.
  4. ^ "Railways to make fresh entry into Meghalaya". The Assam Tribune. 27 September 2012. Archived from the original on 24 November 2012. Retrieved 4 August 2013.
  5. ^ a b c "Meghalaya fell off Rly map in 1897". The Indian Express. 1 July 2007. Retrieved 4 August 2013.
  6. ^ Sessional Papers: Volume 73. Great Britain. Parliament. House of Commons. 1902. The Cherra-Companyganj State Railway ',(Ab'ssam) was finally closed on the 15th October 1900, as since the earthquake it had ceased to earn working expenses, and the volume of the traffic offering was insufficient to justify the line ...